Ottawa County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Ottawa County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 24, 1998Tornado$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down approximately 10 miles west of Port Clinton and just west of the Davis Bessie power plant. Winds were between 113 and 157 miles per hour. Considerable damage occurred, with some barns completely destroyed and an apartment complex heavily damaged. Sixty three homes were destroyed, 63 sustained major damage, 238 had minor damage, semi trucks and mobile homes were overturned and trees and utility poles were downed. Loss of power lines outside Davis Bessie triggered a shutdown and a second stage alert; power was out for several days in places. A state of emergency was declared and all roads were closed in the county. Many buildings were destroyed and trees were…

2. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$13.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down south of Port Clinton and then moved northeast entering the city just west of the intersection of Wilcox Road and Fulton Road. The tornado moved through the heart of the city reaching Lake Erie at Lakeview Park. From there, the tornado moved northeast over Lake Erie to Catawba Island where it finally dissipated after a ten mile long damage path. Four people suffered minor injuries as a result of the tornado. Hardest hit was the Lakeview Park area where two condominiums were blown off their stilts into Lake Erie and many other structures where destroyed. The initial storm damage in Port Clinton occurred along 11th Street where several homes were heavily…

3. Jun 21, 2006Flash Flood$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms dumped very heavy rains on Ottawa County during the evening hours of June 21st. The rain began around 7 pm with rainfall rates later in the evening exceeding three inches per hour. Rainfall totals from the storm ranged from 6 to 8 inches in the Port Clinton area with slightly lesser amounts further east and south. Widespread flash flooding occurred across the county. The flooding was especially bad in Port Clinton where firefighters rescued 15 motorists from their stranded vehicles between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. Floodwaters over three feet deep were reported in many locations in the city. At the peak of the event, flood waters on Buckeye Boulevard were over four feet…

4. Jun 24, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Most of the damage in Ottawa County was caused by straight line winds. A gust of 92 miles per hour was measured in Erie Township. Sustained winds of 70 miles per hour were measured at Port Clinton. Many trees and power lines were downed, blocking several roads. Mobile homes were flipped over, some with people inside them in Oak Harbor, and roofs were blown off of barns.

5. Aug 19, 2011Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An official NWS observer measured 6.58 inches over Port Clinton on the 14th. Emergency Management estimates at least half the town experienced some form of flooding as storm sewer systems were overwhelmed. The H.B. Magruder Hospital was inundated with ankle deep flood waters. Many homes and businesses in Port Clinton observed water in their basements, garages, or into their first floors. Many residents report this to be the worse flooding since the July 4-5th storm of 1969. EMA estimated a lot of property was affected with minor flooding, very few major, and no destroyed.

6. Jun 5, 2010Tornado$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong tornado moved into western Ottawa County from Wood County during the late evening hours of June 5th. The tornado entered the county at 11:30 pm EDT as a weak EF3 or strong EF2 tornado. A couple homes on Trowbridge Road just east of the county line were heavily damaged. The tornado then continued east northeast to just north of the intersection of Billman and Trowbridge Roads where a few more homes were significantly damaged. After crossing Billman Road, the tornado took a turn to the right and intensified back to EF3. The tornado crossed Reiman Road just south of Trowbridge Road and finally lifted just before reaching Bolander Road. Around a dozen homes near the…

7. Jun 1, 2019Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The mean level of Lake Erie rose 4 inches from May to June to a level of 574.61 ft. This monthly mean level broke the record high June level and it is the lake���s highest recorded monthly level mean since 1918, the beginning of its period of record. Lake Erie���s monthly mean level was 10 inches above its level of a year ago. Flooding impacted the western Lake Erie shoreline with most of the impact along the Islands and Ottawa and Erie Counties where homes, businesses, and parks took on high water. Area beaches were underwater and many marinas were in accessible due to high water levels. During periods of high wind South Bass Island was temporarily divided into two…

8. May 27, 2009Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Slow moving, training thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall in Port Clinton, flooding nearly every street in town. Basement flooding was common due to the high water in the streets. The hospital lobby experienced flooding starting around 2:33pm local time, with water one to two feet deep just outside the main entrance. The foundation of a bank building at East 2nd and Madison collapsed around 3:55pm. 3.75 inches of rain fell in one hour at the sewage treatment plant between 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Storm total rainfall of 5.1 inches was measured in Port Clinton, with 4.5 inches measured on Harbor Road just east of town.

9. Apr 9, 1998Storm Surge/Tide$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Northeast gales of 35 knots and water levels that peaked just below 100 inches above low water datum produced 10 to 14 foot waves which caused major damage along the lakeshore. Many lakeshore roads were not only flooded , but also covered with rocks and other debris that, in some places, had to be removed by bulldozers. In Ottawa County, ten houses were destroyed and over 200 others were damaged, streets in downtown Port Clinton were flooded and the dike system and gravel roads in the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge were badly damaged. Some evacuations took place at Whites Landing in Erie And Sandusky Counties and also at Wightmans Grove and Memory Marina in Sandusky County. A…

10. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Ottawa$1.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the early evening hours of September 14th and continued through late evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 6 and 8 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with hundreds of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred as well with some customers without power for a few days. Many homes and buildings were damaged across the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also from…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°FJul 14, 1936

All-time low

−20°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Warmest night

84°FAug 2, 2006

Coldest day

−8°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.01 inJul 12, 1966

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 28, 1984

Hottest year

2024mean 55.2°F

Coldest year

1967mean 47.4°F

Wettest year

201161.14 in

Driest year

202115.87 in

Station Sandusky (USW00014846), 584 ft elevation, 19.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1936 to August 31, 2026; 95.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014846.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.